Paramus NJ mall incident, CNN

There’s been a report of shots fired at the Westfield Garden State Plaza Mall in Paramus, NJ. According to CNN, an employee heard “6-7 shots” around 9:20 p.m. (all times ET). The shooting began outside Nordstrom’s on the mall’s second level, shortly before the mall was to have closed at 9:30 p.m. Witnesses reported a man “dressed in all black” and carrying a “large gun” or a “rifle” who fired shots into the air as he approached the mall entrance to Nordstrom’s. There are reports (unconfirmed as always) of body armor and a helmet. The mall is currently on lockdown. SWAT teams arrived on scene at 10:03 p.m., and according to CBS, police sources told WCBS 880′s Steve Scott there was still an active shooter at the mall as of 10:15 p.m., and people had been hit. (Early reports of injuries have been firmly denied. There are no reported injuries at this time.)

Updates after the jump…

2232 update: CNN has a crawl that quotes the NJ State Police that there are “no reported injuries.”

2240 update: The gunman was reportedly shooting at security cameras, not people. A mall employee who got an up-close look at the gunman described him as tall, wearing a black motorcycle helmet and black leather jacket, and carrying a long gun.

2245 update: Bergen county officials have told CNN that the suspect is still inside the mall, SWAT officers are doing a “store-by-store” sweep at this time.

2300 update: Still no reports of any injuries. A couple of reports that before he started shooting, he told some people “Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt anyone” and then started shooting at the security cameras. Early reports of body armor have been revised to the previously mentioned motorcycle helmet and leather jacket. Police have confirmed he is still in the mall, nothing further.

2315 update: The Mayor of Paramus has said that only one shell casing was found inside the mall, and also that he believes the shooter has left the mall. No one, repeat, no one else is saying that last part. We may have entered the “Speculation Zone.”

Police are sending in what is reported to be a remote control camera.

cnnparamusnjscreenshot2

2335 update: An up-close witness was interviewed on camera who said that it appeared the gunman was in the mall with other people, and reported one man had a semi-automatic rifle and the other man had a long gun of indeterminate type. He said he heard two distinct reports, one of which he described as sounding like a shotgun. This is the first and only report of multiple gunmen thus far. The witness (who is apparently ex-Navy) used the term “semi-automatic rifle” several times, stressing it even more forcefully after the reporter interviewing him said “assault rifle.” Good for him.

2359 update: The Mayor of Paramus Township told Anderson Cooper that police believe the shooter has left the mall, saying “this is no longer an active shooter situation, but it is an active crime scene investigation.” He’s been saying that for almost an hour, and he’s still not very confidence inspiring. He did stress, once again, that there have been zero reported injuries.

0015 update: It seems confirmed that police believe the shooter is no longer on the premises, and they are now doing a slow and cautious sweep to get the rest of the mall employees and patrons out. Most of the news stations have cut their live feeds and are showing tape of earlier interviews, so this will be the final update. Anything further of note will be a separate post.

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72 COMMENTS

  1. Shouldn’t be too many people around that time on night. Still, bracing for impact and getting my cards ready.

  3. Navy Yard in DC
    LAX in CA
    Garden State Plaza in NJ

    3 incidents in 3 very anti gun places.

    Just saying…

    • Yet more gun control is the answer.

      I view it much like stripping a screw, there is only so much it can take before it breaks.

    • This just can’t happen there. NJ has some of the most strict gun laws in the country. In NJ, criminals are supposed to obey laws, especially gun laws. We must make the laws stronger. We must make more gun laws. We must do everything we can do ban guns.

  4. Obama Nudge, Shove, Shoot
    All Assault Weapons will be banned, ownership will earn a mandatory 10 year sentence
    Stop and Frisk will be nationwide, all Con. Rights suspended.
    Count On It

  5. NJ State police is reporting there are no known casualties….shooter only targeting security cameras.

  7. No CCW carriers,strict gun laws so every citizen becomes a victim,police get there in time to count the bodies,Like I said “can’t fix stupid” ,police commissioner,democratic representatives,libatards goodie two shoe anti- gunners!

    • Initial post reporting shooting at 0920 and SWAT arrives 1003? That’s a 43 minute response time. WTF?

      • They got side tracked poking eachother with their boners screaming like school girls “we got a call!!!!”

  8. Anderson Cooper had at least 5 different mall employees live on the phone during broadcast, that were still inside the mall, hiding in their respective stores.

    Westfield Mall security is unarmed.

  9. is TTAG “The Truth About Guns” or “The Truth About Genetically-Disturbed-People”?

    Why do they need every police vehicle, swat team bus, armored cars etc. within a 5 state radius at that mall for a single shooter with no casualties? I’ll tell you why, it makes it look more “SCARY” on the news, which in turn helps push the sheeple closer to complete government control.

    And TTAG is helping…..

    • Because it’s the largest mall in NJ. The size of some small midwest towns. With a million exits and a billion hidey-holes. They all have to be secured; every single person inside has to be checked out. Good enough for you?

    • Well, honestly, I think some of it is the order in which they show up. You’ve got Paramus city cops, then Bergen County cops (which is who the SWAT team belongs to), then the NJ State Police, who I understand took over leadership of the scene when they arrived on scene. I have no idea why NBC News has a photo of a Fort Lee PD car (15 minutes away) on scene.

        • Nah, it’s got Nordstrom in the background, so it’s from tonight. I’ve also seen a car from the Leonia, NJ PD, which is between the mall and the aforementioned Fort Lee.

        • I just heard Port Authority cops were called to set up an outer perimeter. No casualties so far; possibly a robbery. The circus is definitely in town…

    • Thanks, so far I prefer CNN. Pix11 is reporting to talking to reporters and analysts, AC360 is talking to government officials and people on scene.

  11. And when will the “assult weapon” report come out? Truth or bold face lie it will be reported.

  12. Not possible in NJ. They have some of the strictest gun control laws in the land. So, this must be a hoax. 😉

    • 2.5 hours later the cops still don’t know what is really going on, whether or not the shooter is still at the mall. The whole thing started at about 9:20 pm, so not many people would have been there, but the cops didn’t really do anything for about 2 hours after the incident started. The GS Plaza is a huge mall and everybody could see that their response was slow, despite their best intentions. So how come the police are the only ones allowed to carry guns for protection? Of course the officials will want even more gun restrictions now, even though the GS Plaza and the rest of NJ are giant victim…I mean gun free zones already.

    • Dude, I think you need your meds adjusted. Some cat shoots out the security cameras at a mall, and you’re predicting gun owners will be rounded up and sent to the FEMA camps tomorrow morning. Calm the hell down.

  14. Everyone knows there are no guns in New Jersey.
    This is just another government conspiracy to take my guns away.
    Just like the moon landing in 1969.
    It never happed.

  16. This just keeps getting weirder and weirder. Spree shootings that only target LEO/DHS and security cameras? This is starting to smell fishy…

    …I’m gonna get out my tin-foil. I’m not going to put it on just yet, but I’m gonna get it ready, just in case.

    • Mines already on.
      I don’t want to miss it when they come from up there to take me away,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
      Off to the shower we go hope to read some more later.
      My tin foils water proof, is yours??

      • I made mine into an ACH and lined it with kevlar, lead, and depleted uranium. It’s not for wearin, its fer throwin at libtards when they start screamin bout assault weapons and waving the busted cctv cams.

  17. 200 units on the scene, meanwhile in the rest of town criminals are safe to do their thing without worry.

  18. Why do reporters always seem to find the dumbest mother f*cker on scene and ask them questions???I’m lookin at the mayor on this one how does that happen I mean really how could you not find a tard at the scene??? You had to show the fine folks of NJ just how dumb that mayor is and how fast he can jump to an unproven and unsupported conclusion.

    • Was it just me or did that mayor seem really excited to be on TV? Like he sounded almost giddy as he talked. If I lived there, he would inspire precisely zero confidence in me.

    • Amazing ain’t it. Aliens always seem to pick cletus from the trailer park to make contact with and the news crews always pick the window licker to talk to. How do they manage that?

    • @ Jay1987

      People like the Mayor are clueless because they have no leadership skills and no active role to play in the event so they’re available to soak up some limelight while speculating “facts”.

    • I’ve observed this as well. I think it’s because only the dumbest motherfu*ker on the scene would talk to the press.

  19. Johnny 5!!!! Noooooo!!! He’ll be killed, he always dies, just like Robo cop at the beginning of every movie, at least he did in the sandbox.

  20. This could be a dry run. They want to see how the police respond and how they deploy etc. Planning??? I hope not!!

    Reports state: Shooting security camera. One report of only one Shell Casing found. Perp wearing a Leather jacket and motorcycle helmet.

    Easy to ditch and walk out as a shopper. Would take them a lot of time to find that. They are reporting now they believe the shooter has left the mall. God I hope this is not a dry run! On a busy night there has to be 1000’s in that whole mall.

  24. that last guy interviewed by the local news is talking about a group of people (five?) including the guy in the motorcycle helmet and hearing distinctly shotgun as well as rifle fire. also that he saw two shots fired at security cameras, that the shooter was not targeting people as he would not be standing outside the mall if that had been the case.

    which totally contradicts what the cops were saying ten minutes earlier, that the single gun man had left the mall.(but that neighbors should not be concerned about their safety)

  30. This and 2 men apprehended in a empty Denver School allegedly armed with rifles and carrying backpacks this early morning are not helping law abiding gun owners in the slightest.

    I am leaning towards a couple of tards wanting to use the school for extreme paint ball but that is wishful thinking.

  32. Whats a rifle modified to look like an AK47??
    Now that they found him dead.
    I wonder if he had some Tin Foil under his helmet??
    Than would explain everything.

    • my guess is a dressed up SKS. it superficially looks like an AK style rifle when it has a detachable magazine clip.
      he could have had a ruger 10/22 in one of those dress up kits…idk. leaning towards SKS

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